Sir Walter Scott’s ‘lost poem’ found

LONDON - An unpublished poem by Sir Walter Scott, one of Scotland’s greatest writers, has been discovered and will be read in public for the first time.

The poem, called The Hills of Killearn, is part of a hidden collection of documents kept at Cambusmore House near Callander.

Sir Walter spent many vacations at the house as a young lawyer and nine letters in the collection, written over a number of years, will be going on display in Callander.

For more than 200 years, Baillie-Hamilton family of Cambusmore House was the custodian of the poem.

“The discovery of the unpublished poem and letters is very exciting. We are very lucky that the Baillie-Hamilton family have given us access to these wonderful examples of Scott’s writing. The letters show what a strong influence the Trossachs had on Scott and how they inspired him to produce some of his most popular work,” the BBC news quoted Elspeth McLachlan, ScottsLand.co.uk director, as saying.

The poem, written during one of Sir Walter’s many visits to the area, praises several local places like Aberfeldy and Callander and will be first read in Roman Camp Country House Hotel in Callander during mid September. (ANI)